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Received yesterday — 13 February 2026

Iran Turns to Digital Surveillance Tools to Track Down Protesters

As Iranian authorities restore some online services after crushing antigovernment demonstrations, they are using a technological dragnet to target attendees of the protests.

© Getty Images

Antigovernment protesters blocked a road last month in Tehran. Iran is using facial recognition and phone data to track and detain people involved in political opposition activities.
Received before yesterday

Europe Accuses TikTok of ‘Addictive Design’ and Pushes for Change

6 February 2026 at 07:06
European Union regulators said the app’s infinite scroll and personalized algorithm led to “compulsive” behavior, especially among children.

© Patrick T. Fallon/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

TikTok and other social media companies are under mounting pressure globally for hooking young users.

France’s Raid on X Escalates Trans-Atlantic Showdown Over Social Media

The French investigation into Elon Musk’s X illustrated a fundamental divide between European and American leaders about how to regulate social media — or whether to restrict it at all.

© Justin Tallis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A poster in London featuring an image of Elon Musk, calling for X users to delete their accounts.

Elon Musk’s X Faces EU Inquiry Over Sexualized AI Images Generated by Grok

26 January 2026 at 09:16
Regulators said the company’s lack of controls had led to the widespread use of deepfakes created with the chatbot Grok.

© Nicolas Tucat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The investigation is likely to escalate a confrontation between Europe and the United States over the regulation of online content.

How Activists in Iran Are Using Starlink to Stay Online

Activists spent years preparing for a communications blackout in Iran, smuggling in Starlink satellite internet systems and making digital shutdowns harder for the authorities to enforce.

© Middle East Images/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A Starlink receiver atop a house in Kurdistan, Iran, in 2023. About 50,000 Starlink terminals are now in the country, according to digital activists.

Elon Musk’s X Under UK Investigation Over Grok’s Sexualized A.I. Images

12 January 2026 at 17:25
A British regulator said it had started a formal investigation into Mr. Musk’s chatbot over the spread of illegal images.

© Andria Lo for The New York Times

Grok’s prompt page on a phone. In recent weeks, the chatbot has posted sexualized photos of real people, including children, in response to user prompts.

Worn Down by Worry, Parents Look Longingly at Australia’s Social Media Ban

After the country barred children under 16 from using social media, many parents have been asking whether similarly tough action is needed in their own countries.

© Matthew Abbott for The New York Times

Students waiting for the bus in Sydney, Australia, in November. The country’s new law barring children from using social media has helped fuel emotional debate across the world.

They Seek to Curb Online Hate. The U.S. Accuses Them of Censorship.

24 December 2025 at 07:57
The Trump administration said five regulators and researchers who work to tackle disinformation and abuse on the internet had been barred from entering the United States.

© Pool photo by Christophe Petit Tesson

Thierry Breton, a former European commissioner, was one of five Europeans that Secretary of State Marco Rubio called “radical activists.”

U.S. Threatens Penalties Against European Tech Firms Amid Regulatory Fight

The Trump administration singled out European tech firms by name and promised economic consequences Tuesday unless the E.U. rolls back tech regulation and lawsuits.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

The Office of the United States Trade Representative, led by Jamieson Greer, said that the European Union had “persisted in a continuing course of discriminatory and harassing lawsuits, taxes, fines, and directives” against U.S. companies.

Elon Musk Tests Europe’s Willingness to Enforce Its Online Laws

12 December 2025 at 14:39
Backed by White House officials, the tech billionaire has lashed out at the European Union after his social media platform X was fined last week.

© Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times

Elon Musk has grown increasingly confrontational toward Europe over the past year.
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